


Stuck

by keinekatze132



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Anakin teaching Rex meditation, Domestic Fluff, M/M, stuff like that, watch these losers learn how to cook
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:48:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27797218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keinekatze132/pseuds/keinekatze132
Summary: Anakin and Rex escape from a mission in a stolen luxury space ship. The only problem is that the hyperdrive fails in the middle of nowhere. Traveling below lightspeed they have to face the challenge of living together for a few days.
Relationships: CT-7567 | Rex/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 13
Kudos: 134





	1. Day 1

**Author's Note:**

> People on my dash wouldn’t shut up about this ship and I had “rarepair” left on a challenge I set myself so here I go spiraling. Writing this was a lot of fun and it turned out way longer than I had expected.

Rex was standing at a window, watching the planet get smaller below him. Most times he traveled he didn’t have the luxury to do so. There were always reports to fill and orders to give. But this time it was only him and the General on the ship and there would be enough time to make a report once they had returned to Coruscant. 

He still couldn’t believe how well their escape had gone. He and General Skywalker had infiltrated a space port well known for its underground spice trade. Rumors had said, that the local drug lord had made a deal with the separatist that allowed them to ship weapons from the planet. The rumors had turned out to be false. Rex supposed that the rumors had been started by someone who wanted the Jedi to destroy a competitor, but it was not his place to tell the republic to do better checks on their sources. 

It had turned out that the spice traders didn’t like people snooping around in their business at all. Once he and the General had been caught it was incredibly important that no one figured out they were with the republic. If they did, there was no doubt they would actually turn to the Separatists. Their strategy was to leave the planet as fast as possible. Since their own ship was heavily guarded it had been the most logical choice to steal the drug lord’s personal luxury yacht. Their choice had had absolutely nothing to do with a personal distaste for the man. 

Rex could feel his stomach drop once they made the jump into hyperspace. He remembered that when he had first left Kamino he had had a hard time not throwing up during the jump. Now it was only a slight discomfort. 

Lost in his memories he barely noticed, that the ship was not flying as smoothly as a yacht that size should be flying. He tried to figure out what was off when suddenly Rex was torn out of his thoughts by the sound of metal scraping over metal. He covered his ears, wishing he was wearing his helmet. The noise lasted for a few painful minutes before a shock went through the ship, almost knocking Rex off his feet. A quick glance out of the window confirmed that they had left Hyperspace. 

The cockpit door opened and General Skywalker walked past him, a worried look on his face. 

Rex followed him. “Sir, what happened?” he asked.

“No idea” the General replied in a concerned voice. 

The two of them could already smell the fire before they had found the engine room. Once they opened the door they could see the source. The hyperdrive was in flames. Rex looked for a way to extinguish the fire in panic. After all, there were no droids on the ship. The General had noticed the same thing. With a wave of his hand he killed the fire. The two of them starred at the remains of the hyperdrive for a few moments.

“Maybe stealing the ship out of maintenance was not the best idea” Skywalker finally said.

Rex agreed in silence.

The General looked closer at the hyperdrive. “I don’t think I can fix that” he said. “At least not without the right equipment”.

Rex didn’t like the sound of that. “What are we going to do, Sir?” he asked.

“Let’s check if the other systems are working first” Skywalker decided. 

Back in the cockpit it turned out that the only thing damaged beyond repair was the hyperdrive. While that meant they didn’t have to worry about life necessary systems failing they were still stuck in the middle of space. 

“We have two options” Skywalker said. “We can either send out a distress signal, which will probably get to the owner of this ship before it gets to the republic, or we can try to make it to the next port without the hyperdrive, which will take us…” he checked the screens once more “… about three days.

Rex frowned. “It seems to me like we only have one option after all” he said.

Skywalker nodded. He was already programming the auto-pilot. “Guess you’ll be stuck with me for a little longer” he joked. 

The ship was way bigger than any ship meant to carry only a few people should have been. After walking around for a bit Rex found himself inside a lounge and sat down on a huge couch. It clearly was not the worst place to be stuck but he didn’t like the idea of sitting around doing nothing for the next few days. He wasn’t made to be resting. 

He was about to get up and walk around the ship a little more when the General entered the room. Skywalker sat down on an armchair across from Rex and draped his legs over the armrest in a way Rex couldn’t imagine was comfortable. 

“I checked the engines once more” he said. “It looks like we don’t have to worry about anything else blowing up”. 

Rex nodded. “Glad to hear that, Sir” he said. “I suppose we got lucky”. 

“Yeah” the General agreed. “I hadn’t had three free days in a row since I was a youngling”. 

Rex snorted. “Actually I was talking about not blowing up with the hyperdrive” he explained. 

Skywalker laughed. “I call that calculated risk, Rex” he said. 

Rex knew the General hadn’t calculated anything, but he let it go. Right now he had to figure out what he was supposed to do with all this free time. 

“So what is the plan, Sir?” he asked. 

Skywalker shrugged. “I guess finding something to eat would make a good start”.

The kitchen was hidden behind an inconspicuous door. It was tiny compared to the rest of the ship and Rex believed that it was supposed to be used by servants, not the people ships like this were built for. Thankfully, the cabinets were filled with fresh ingredients. Skywalker grabbed a bunch of Jogan fruits and threw one at Rex. He caught it in surprise. 

Skywalker bit into one and made a pleased sound. “I didn’t even realized how hungry I was” he hummed. 

Rex turned the fruit in his hands. He barely got to eat fresh food. Being a clone he was used to eating ration bars. He took a bite out of the Jogan fruit. It tasted incredibly sweet and he had to try hard to keep a neutral face. Getting to eat food like this for the next few days was worth being stuck in space for. 

Curiously he looked around the kitchen. There were many kinds of vegetables and fruit. He opened the conservator and found some blue milk, butter and something that looked like raw meat. He couldn’t even imagine how many dishes one could prepare with those ingredients. After all, he didn’t know how to cook anything which led him to an even more important question:

“Sir, if I’m allowed to ask” he said, “Do you know how to make food?”

Skywalker’s smile froze. He looked down on the ingredients with a slight frown. 

“I learned how to cook from my mother, but I haven’t made anything since I joined the Jedi order” he admitted. For a second he seemed to be lost in his thoughts. Then he shrugged and said “Anyway, how hard can it be?”

Rex was not convinced but he didn’t have any choice but to trust his General on this matter. Skywalker was taking out some vegetables from the cabinets. 

“I think these are some things I’ve been cooking with before” he said. “First we need to peel them and cut them into tiny pieces “. He handed Rex a knife. 

Rex took it and squeezed himself next to the General in front of the countertop. He picked up a bright yellow vegetable and tried to peel it. It was squishy and he had a hard time not to crush it while holding it tight enough as not to drop it. Skywalker had already cut another vegetable into uneven pieces when he had finished peeling his. 

Somehow working in the kitchen with him made Rex extra clumsy. He was used to fighting side by side with the General on the battlefield and he knew they had learned to trust each other with their lives, but the way their shoulders were touching while preparing food in the tiny kitchen was something entirely different. Domestic might have been the right word.

Rex had always taken his crush on the General with a grain of salt. After all he barely got to know people that weren’t other clones. And there was no one he spent more time with than Skywalker and maybe Ahsoka, who was basically a child. He had thought before that something inside him that the Kaminoans hadn’t managed to get quite rid of, just wanted to have feelings for someone. He was projecting onto Skywalker the way some of his brothers projected onto the models whose posters they placed over their beds. It was just a little more embarrassing to fall for a Jedi General than it was to fall for a pin up model. 

Rex added the cut vegetable pieces into a pot Skywalker hat put onto the stove. Some of the pieces had been more ripped than cut but he felt like he was making progress. He grabbed another vegetable and started peeling it. Skywalker added some ingredients from the conservator and somehow the dish in the pot turned into soup.

They ate back in the lounge. The General was sitting cross legged in his armchair and Rex had once more taken the couch. Each of them had a steaming bowl of soup in their hands. Rex tasted it carefully. Even he could tell that it was not great. It tasted a little burned and didn’t have much flavor besides that but it was still way better than ration bars. 

Skywalker frowned at his Bowl. “I think this cooking thing needs a little more practice” he said.

Rex shrugged. “Beats the usual food on missions” he said. 

“I’ll take that as a compliment” Skywalker said. He smiled at Rex in a way that made his heart do a little jump. Rex quickly looked back down at his bowl. If he wanted to make it through the following days he had to get a grip on himself.

It was getting late so they decided to go and find places to sleep after dinner. Rex remembered he had walked past some bedrooms earlier. Skywalker went back to check on the auto pilot one last time so Rex got to choose a room first. There was a huge master bedroom with a gigantic bed filled with multiple pillows at the end of the hallway. Rex immediately decided against it. He for once supposed he should leave the best room for his General but he also knew that he would be uncomfortable in a room that fancy anyways. 

In the same corridor were a few smaller guest bedrooms. They were equipped with queen sized beds, a few mirrors, huge closets and an on suit refresher. There were ports for butler droids located on a wall but even in the bedrooms there were no droids to be seen. All the rooms looked basically the same so Rex simply picked the first room he had walked into. 

As soon as he had closed the door he kicked off his boots and fell down onto the bed. With all the excitement of the day he hadn’t even noticed how tired he was. The bed was incredibly soft and for a short moment he pondered if he had ever lain on something this comfortable. He let the thought go. The answer was probably no anyways. 

He was only half awake when he heard the door next to his room close. As far as he could remember it wasn’t the master bedroom. It seemed like Skywalker wasn’t into unnecessary luxury as well. Rex fell asleep before he could dwell on it.


	2. Day 2

Rex was so used to getting up at the same time every day that he woke up at exactly 6 am even without setting an alarm. He sat up a little disorientated while the memory of why he was in a strange bed came back. It was unusual that there was no reason for him to get up right away. Being on his own he didn’t have to be a good example for anyone and no one waited for him to give orders. With a sigh he sank back into his pillows. 

He must have fallen asleep again because when he finally got up it was late in the morning. Rex yawned and did a few stretches. He felt incredibly well rested. After taking a quick shower he got dressed and went to find something to have for breakfast. The kitchen was way messier that they had left it the day before, which meant that Skywalker had probably eaten breakfast already. Eying the mess, Rex decided it would be better not to try to make anything fancy. Instead he grabbed a bunch of different fruits he had seen people eat raw before. 

He leaned against the counter and had what might have been the best breakfast of his life. Every fruit had a very unique texture and taste. Rex had never known how much he had missed by only ever eating rations. The slightly sour purple berries were probably his favorite but it was hard to choose.

After he had finished eating he went looking for the General. The cockpit was empty and they were still on auto pilot so Rex decided to look for him in the lounge. When he entered the room he found Skywalker sitting cross-legged on the carpet. His eyes were closed and he appeared to be meditating. Rex hesitated for a moment not sure if he should leave him alone. He was about to go back to his room when the General opened his eyes and moved.

“Finally awake?” Skywalker asked teasingly.

Rex blushed. “I guess I overslept, Sir” he admitted. 

Skywalker laughed. “Don’t worry about it, Rex” he said. “I won’t tell anyone”. 

Rex didn’t know if he should thank him or be offended. Instead of replying he asked: “Am I interrupting you?”

The General shook his head. “Not at all” he said. “You can join me if you want to”.

Rex hesitated. “Sir, I’m not a Jedi” he protested.

Skywalker smiled. “You don’t have to be a Jedi to meditate” he said. “Come one, I’ll show you”. He made a gesture for Rex to sit down next to him. 

Rex automatically followed his orders before he even knew what he was doing. He sat down next to the General, trying to mimic his position. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t exited. He knew very little about all the mystic Jedi stuff besides what he needed to know on the battlefield and he was excited to learn more.

“Close your eyes” Skywalker said. “You need to empty your mind”.

Rex tried his best. It was hard to think about anything else that the General sitting beside him. Well maybe also the way his legs started to hurt. He concentrated on emptying his mind until he realized that he was trying so hard to think about nothing that his head was anything but empty. He opened his eyes in frustration and caught Skywalker looking at him with a soft expression. The General looked a little flustered once he realized Rex was staring back but quickly got his expressions back under control. 

“Your head doesn’t have to be empty” he explained. “Try to let your thoughts flow without controlling them”. 

Rex closed his eyes once more. This time he simply tried to relax his mind a little. His thoughts circled around the way the General had just looked at him. As he had been told he tried to let his thoughts flow so he stopped himself from trying to interpret it. He ended up with a mix of sweet memories and daydreams that left him with a warm feeling.

He couldn’t tell how long he had been sitting there before his legs started to ache so bad that he became uncomfortable. He silently got up and sat down on the couch instead. Skywalker was still sunken into meditation. He looked almost divine sitting there like that. Rex knew he was looking at him longer than would have been appropriate, but he couldn’t resist the chance to take a look at his features without being afraid of getting caught. He knew every inch of his face almost as well as he knew his own, but it still fascinated him every time. 

Rex was lost in his thoughts when suddenly Skywalker’s expression changed drastically. A deep frown overcame his face and he clenched his hands to fists. Rex didn’t know how to react. He wanted to wake the General and tell him everything was all right, but he didn’t know if it was safe to approach a meditating Jedi. At least he seemed to have a very different experience than Rex had had meditating. He was still trying to figure out what to do when the General opened his eyes with a scream.

“Sir, are you all right?” Rex asked, still not sure if he should approach him. 

Skywalker looked at Rex with a confused look on his face. Rex could have sworn that for a moment he even saw something like fear in his eyes. The General took a deep breath seemingly trying to get himself under control. He got up and Rex expected him to leave but instead he sat down next to him on the couch. Once more Rex didn’t know what to do. He knew he should comfort him, but how should he comfort his Jedi general?

Anakin was the first one to break the silence. “I keep having these visions” he explained. Something in his voice made him seem more vulnerable than Rex had ever seen him.

He tried to put a hand on his shoulder. The General didn’t shake it off and Rex took that as a good sign. “Visions?” he asked.

Anakin frowned and he almost regretted having asked when he said: “Visions of the people I love.”

Rex gave him a questioning look and he continued speaking. “They are leaving. At least the smart ones are” he said. There was a pained look on his face. “The ones who stay are dead”.

Rex really didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know anything about the kind of visions the Jedi tended to have but he knew Skywalker needed comfort. 

“Sir, those visions don’t always predict the future, right?” he tried to say.

Anakin shook his head. “No” he admitted. “Everyone keeps telling me, the force works in mysterious ways”.

Rex awkwardly petted his shoulder. It seemed to work as Skywalker relaxed a little.

“You are right, Rex” he said. “It probably is nothing. Still…” He gave Rex a weak smile.

The two of them sat in silence for a few more minutes before Rex finally had an idea. 

“You know what always cheers me up?” he asked. “Training”.

Skywalker snorted. “That does sound like you, Rex” he said. “But you are right. This is not the time to sulk”. 

He got up and offered a hand to Rex. “Got any moves to show me, Captain?” he asked playfully.

Rex felt like he was having a stroke. “Sir, I don’t think there is much I could teach you” he protested.

“We’ll see about that” Skywalker said. 

Rex accepted his fate and took the Generals hand. Once they were both standing in the middle of the room Skywalker used the force to set aside the furniture. The resulting space would be big enough for a few light exercises.

“Show me what you’ve got” Skywalker demanded.

He didn’t have to tell Rex twice. Without much of a warning he tried a punch for his Shoulder. Skywalker dodged it without an issue but Rex already had his next moves planned. He did a series of quick attacks but it was no surprise that none of them could touch Anakin. Rex paused for a second, waiting for Skywalkers next move. 

Skywalker smiled at him for a moment before he repeated the exact same moves against Rex. It was almost too quick for him to dodge but Rex reacted fast enough. It seemed like he finally had a partner he didn’t have to hold back against.

“I like it so far” Skywalker said. “What else do you have?”

Rex smiled. There was a technique he had learned in training that was intended to knock taller opponents of their feet. He tried to hide his intentions by dealing a few blows with his fists first before he shifted into the right movements. Anakin dodged him again but Rex didn’t mind at all. As expected the General copied his moves but Rex was prepared this time. He fended off the attacks with a little more ease than before. 

They were circling each other, waiting for the next move. Rex knew he couldn’t win any ground like this. He had to think of something new. His eyes landed on the armchair behind the General. If he managed to turn him around a little he might have a chance. He used one of his favorite series of moves to move the two of them closer to the chair. When Skywalker attacked this time he didn’t just dodge it. In one fluent movement he avoided his blow and tripped him.

Just as planned Skywalker stumbled against the Armchair and fell into it. The surprised look on his face was the best payoff Rex could have hoped for. He walked up to him smiling and offered him a hand.

“Don’t expect your opponent to play fair” he said.

Anakin smiled and lifted his arm as if he wanted to take Rex’ hand. Right before they touched he waved his hand in an almost casual gesture and threw Rex onto the couch on the other side of the room with the force.

“I’ll make sure I won’t” he said in a smug voice.

Rex sat up, his bewilderment visible on his face. The two of them starred at each other for a long moment before they broke down laughing. It took some time before either of them were able to form a cohesive sentence again. 

“We should do this again some time” Anakin finally said and Rex made some agreeing noises. 

At some point it had gotten late and they were once more faced with the challenge of what they were going to have for dinner. They made their way into the small kitchen and took a look at the ingredients that were left. They didn’t have to worry as there was still enough food to feed them for weeks, but the Vegetables they had used the day before were not enough for another pot of soup. Rex didn’t mind as he was thrilled to try something new. There was some fresh meat in the conservator and Anakin took it out.

“Do you know how to prepare it, Sir?” Rex asked.

Anakin nodded. “On Tatooine we used to barbeque meat over open fire. I think I can make some changes to the stove to make that possible”.

Rex watched as Anakin took a screwdriver out of one of the pockets on his belt and started to work on the stove. In about no time he had changed it in a way that a huge flame was burning in the air. They used the oven’s grill grate to place meat and some vegetables over the fire. In about no time the food smelled amazing, making Rex realize how hungry he was. It took another ten minutes before Anakin turned off the fire and served the food on two plates.

Back in the lounge they ate sitting on the floor as the furniture was still piled up against the walls. It reminded Rex of the way they would sometimes eat on missions when they had to sleep in tents for the night. He was glad he didn’t have to sleep in a tent that night but he enjoyed the familiar atmosphere. 

The food was great. Rex felt like the meat tasted exactly the way meat was supposed to taste. The outside was nice and crunchy but it was still a little juicy on the inside. To his surprise the grilled vegetables tasted very different than they had tasted as a soup the day before. Rex liked it. It tasted great together with the meat.

Even Anakin looked pretty pleased with the way the food had turned out this time. He seemed to be in pretty good spirits and Rex was glad to see it after he had been visibly shaken from the vision earlier. 

“It’s exactly how I had remembered it” Anakin said.

“You said you used to have this before you joined the Jedi Order, Sir?” Rex asked.

Anakin smiled. “You know, you don’t have to call me ‘sir’ in our free time, Rex?” he asked.

Rex hadn’t even considered the option. “If you say so, S-“. He had to physically stop himself from calling him “Sir”.

Anakin laughed and he sighed. 

“But yeah” Anakin said. “I don’t remember all of my childhood. It might be better that way. But I know I loved cooking with my mother”.

Rex felt a little touched that Anakin was sharing personal memories with him. He had noticed how both of them had opened up after spending more time together. Rex tried to picture Anakin’s childhood but the only thing he could imagine were the sterile white rooms of Kamino. 

“Do you miss Tatooine?” he asked. Rex himself had mixed feelings towards Kamino. He didn’t want to return to being a child, but he felt protective of the Planet and the Place he and his brothers came from. 

Anakin shook his head. “If I never have to step into that awful desert again it will still be too early” he muttered. 

Rex made an agreeing noise. He knew when to change a topic. “So what planet would you like to visit if you could choose?” he asked.

“That’s a hard question” Anakin said. He tapped his fingers on the floor as he was thinking about it. “Promise not to laugh”. 

“I promise” Rex said. He was intrigued. 

“I’m thinking about Kashyyyk” Anakin said. “There is just something really fascinating about the big forests and I love oceans”.

Rex nodded along. It was not the answer he had expected but he could totally see why it was true. If he had to pick a planet that was the least like Tatooine he would probably say Kashyyyk. “Do you think the Wookiees like visitors?” he asked.

Anakin shrugged. “We should totally have a crash on Kashyyyk and find out some day”.

“Yeah” Rex agreed. The fact that Anakin included him into his plans made his heart beat faster. “We totally should”.


	3. Day 3

When Rex woke up at his usual time the next morning he didn’t think twice before turning around and falling asleep once more. After all he was on something like a vacation and he felt like he deserved to get some sleep once in a while. He got two more hours of sleep in before he got up and got ready for the day. 

On his way to the kitchen he detected the smell of breakfast. Curiously he entered to find Anakin cooking something on the stove. His hair was messy and he looked like he had just gotten out of bed. Somehow it suited him, Rex thought.

“Good Morning” Anakin said. “I decided to try and make breakfast today” he explained the obvious.

Rex came a little closer and took a look over his shoulder. “Looks amazing” he said.

Anakin hummed in agreement while he flipped the bacon. In a different pot Rex could see some eggs being boiled. It seemed like there was nothing for him to do so he leaned against the doorframe and watched.

“By the way, the Computer said we won’t arrive until late noon” Anakin said.

“That’s all right by me” Rex said. He had to keep the disappointment out of his voice. For his taste their little break was ending way too soon. The time on this ship had passed way faster than he had expected. 

Anakin looked him into the eyes. “Yeah” he said. “I’ll miss it too”. He frowned. “I didn’t even get to do everything I had wanted to” he said.

“Like what?” Rex asked.

Anakin gave him a sheepish smile. “Maybe you’ll find out later” he said.

The Breakfast tasted exactly as good as it had smelled. They shared some bread they had found in one of the cabinets together with the eggs and the bacon. Rex decided he liked salty food just as much as he liked sweet food as he finished the last of his bacon. He had noticed that real food, unlike rations, left him feeling happy and full. He knew eating in the canteen would never be the same after this trip.

Since he hadn’t helped cooking he offered to do the dishes. Anakin agreed and decided to return the lounge’s furniture to its original positions in the meantime. Rex also cleaned the kitchen a little. He knew they would have to leave behind the ship anyway, but he didn’t like leaving a mess.

When he returned to the lounge everything looked the way it had looked when they had first stolen the ship. Anakin had draped himself over the couch but he moved aside a little to make space when he noticed Rex. Rex sat down and Anakin sat up a little to rest his head on his lap. Rex froze. He realized there was nowhere to put his hand other than Anakin’s chest so he carefully did so, hoping he wasn’t blushing too hard. Anakin looked at him and gave him a little smile which immediately made Rex’ heart beat even faster. 

Anakin closed his eyes, still smiling, and Rex relaxed a little. He could feel the way Anakin’s chest was slightly moving as he was breathing and it was one of the most calming sensations he had ever known. He wondered if Anakin had noticed the way a single touch from him could make Rex turn all red. He probably did, Jedi tended to notice a lot of things. Rex frowned. He was not as embarrassed as he would have been a few days ago. Some things between them had changed. Still, he would have preferred his feelings to remain secret.

He looked down at Anakin’s face. He looked peaceful as if Rex’ feelings for him didn’t bother him at all. Rex supposed that maybe it was like that with the Jedi. Love might be such an alien concept to them that they didn’t care either way. Still he couldn’t figure out why Anakin would provoke it like that. Besides maybe if he… Rex shook his head. There was no use in getting his hopes up for nothing.

They sat like that for a few more minutes before Anakin finally broke the silence. 

“I really liked having some time off with you” he said.

Rex nodded before he realized Anakin couldn’t see it. “Me too” he said.

Anakin smiled. “You know, I really like you Rex” he mumbled.

Rex’ heart skipped a beat. There was no way this was meant in the way Rex wanted it to be. “I’m glad to hear that” Rex replied, not sure what else to say.

Anakin opened his eyes and starred at him. Rex could feel the blood rushing to his face, but he didn’t break eye contact.

“I’m really trying to confess to you but you’re making it very hard” Anakin said.

“Confess what?” Rex asked out of confusion.

Anakin sat up and looked at him with a mixture of appall and confusion. “I’m sorry if I got it wrong” he said. “If you want we can never talk about this again”.

“Confess to me” Rex repeated silently. “Oh wait you mean feelings?” he asked. 

Anakin nodded. “Forget it, it was stupid” he said.

“No, wait” Rex said. He grabbed Anakin’s hand before he knew what he was doing. 

They were both starring at their hands, neither of them knowing what to do in a situation like this. Rex looked up and their eyes met. Suddenly everything seemed easy. He pulled Anakin closer and before his mind could process what was happening their lips touched. 

Rex had never kissed anyone before but no practice in the world could have prepared him for the way kissing Anakin felt like. For a moment there was nothing else than his incredibly soft lips and his smell and the way his hair tickled against his face. When they broke away it took a moment for Rex to catch his breath. Anakin’s face was inches away from his and Rex could see the way his pupils had dilated.

“I like you too, Anakin” he said.

Anakin pulled him into another kiss and he could feel himself melting away. 

“That was the first time I heard you say my first name” Anakin mumbled.

“Anakin” Rex whispered again. 

That morning time seemed to be something that was only real for other people. The only thing Rex knew was that holding Anakin in his arms felt like it was his whole purpose in life. It was nice to be together like that and Rex regretted not having said anything earlier. After all, it would never again be as easy as it was today. He knew that at some point he had to ask how they were going to handle this once they got back to their usual routine. Both of them would be in serious trouble if anyone knew.

Rex realized that he was afraid of the answer. He didn’t know if he could do it if Anakin asked him to pretend this had never happened. He tried not to think about it too much and gently placed a kiss on Anakin’s forehead. If they only had today he would make sure to enjoy it while it lasted. 

“Rex?” Anakin asked.

“Hm?” Rex replied.

“Let me invite you to dinner tonight” he said. “I think we deserve some well-made food after all of this”. 

“Hey, your dishes were well made!” Rex protested.

“That’s sweet” Anakin said. “But I’m totally going to change your mind”.

Rex smiled. “You are?” he asked.

Anakin nodded. “It’s the Republics credits anyway so I’m going to get you into the fanciest restaurant we can find before we return to Coruscant” he promised.

Rex hummed. “Sounds like a proper date” he said. 

“That’s what I was going for” Anakin agreed.

It was earlier than Rex would have liked it when they had to return to the cockpit to prepare their landing. The port was located on the moon of an independent planet, but it seemed to be way less shady than Rex had expected. From the looks of it, it was mainly used as a place for transporters to refill fuel and to do small repairs. 

After explaining their situation Anakin barely had to use any Jedi mind tricks to be allowed to land. He was simply a little extra convincing on their fake names and the Ship’s serial number. They were assigned a private hangar and were offered to hire Droids to fix the hyperdrive. Anakin agreed even though they had decided it would be best to get rid of the Ship beforehand. It was best to raise as little suspicion as possible.

When all paperwork was done, the two of them left the hangar to check their options. The port had a lot of infrastructure including shops, bars and restaurants where visitors could spend some time while waiting for their ships to be fixed up. Rex eyed the restaurants curiously, hoping Anakin would remember his promise. After asking around a little they found their way to the local ship market.

The market was almost too small to deserve that name. There were less than ten ships for sale in total, most of them were used transporters. In a corner Rex could see a few speeder bikes and a poster on a wall offered used engine parts in bright letters. A protocol droid greeted them as they got closer. It was the only staff to be seen.

Looking at the ships, Rex knew they would at least end up with an inconspicuous option this time. Anakin walked towards an old fashioned looking shuttle. It consisted only of a cockpit and a small sitting room. The equipment was very limited, but the Droid explained to them that it had a working hyperdrive. It would take them only a few hours to get back to Coruscant like that.

Anakin asked to take a look at the engines himself and was gladly allowed to do so. There were no big issues but the Droid offered to have the ship checked up once more anyway. After some halfhearted bargaining Anakin decided to buy the ship and agreed that he would pick it up later that night. He used a different fake name than he had done before to make things harder for anyone who might try to follow them. 

“That was simpler than I had expected” Rex said as they left the store. 

Anakin hummed in agreement. “This leaves us with enough time to celebrate a little before we have to leave” he said.

“Shouldn’t we try to sell the yacht first?” Rex asked.

Anakin shook his head. “The hangar is rented for the next few days. Once anyone realizes we are gone someone will either sell the ship themselves or even return it to its owner” he said. “Anyway, it won’t be our problem anymore”.

Rex hummed in agreement. The simple solutions tended to be the best ones.

“So about this Restaurant you wanted to invite me to…” he changed the topic.

Anakin laughed. “Let’s see what we can do”. He took Rex’ arm and together they walked through the corridors. 

The nicest place they came across was located on the highest floor of the main building. Compared to Coruscanti standards one could barely call it fine dining but Rex knew he would be more comfortable this way. A waitress showed them to a table in front of one of the huge windows. The view was amazing. The planet above them covered most of the sky and reflected a bunch of different colors. Below them they could see the port and some of the moon’s surface behind it. 

The other tables were filled with all kinds of people from many different species. There were some small families and a few couples. Rex was glad to notice that no one seemed to pay Anakin and him any mind. While waiting for the waitress to return Anakin told him about the first time he had been in a Restaurant on Coruscant. Apparently he had been invited to some diplomatic meetings as a padawan. Rex didn’t know much about Anakin’s past before he became a Jedi, but it sounded like he didn’t get to go to nice places either.

The waitress returned with the menus and Rex thanked her as she placed one in front of him. He opened it to find a long list of dishes and drinks, none of which he had any idea what they were supposed to taste like. 

“I have no idea what to look for” he admitted.

Anakin laughed. “Try to pick something for our species. I once accidently ordered a life fish” he advised. 

Rex sighed and dropped the menu in defeat. “I’ll just take whatever you take” he said.

Anakin pretended to look offended. “Now I’ll have to pick something good” he complained.

Rex laughed. 

Anakin went on and ordered something for the two of them. When the waitress left he placed his non-robotic hand in the middle of the table giving Rex an inviting look. With the slightest bit of hesitation Rex took it. Anakin played with his fingers a little. Rex knew that this man could barely ever keep his hands still and it was strangely endearing that it included hand holding.

“Do you want to go on with this once we are back?” Anakin asked.

“There is nothing I’d like more” Rex replied honestly. A little hesitant he added “I just hadn’t thought that was an option”.

Anakin smiled at him relieved. “Pretending this never happened is a way worse option” he said.

Rex felt like there was a giant weight lifted off his shoulders. Still, he knew Anakin tended to forget about consequences sometimes. “You know clones are not supposed to have romantic feelings,” he said, “and I always thought the same goes for the Jedi”. He took a second to find the right words. “Are you sure you want to risk that much for me?” he asked.

Anakin looked him in the eyes. “Are you?” he asked.

“I am” Rex said, surprised how sure he was. 

“See? Me too” Anakin said and Rex could feel the warmth from the words. “Anyway,” he added, “no one will have to know. I think the galaxies greatest General and his Captain will manage to keep a secret”.

Rex snorted. He knew it wouldn’t be that easy but he didn’t want to argue. “I think we’ll find a way” he said and squeezed Anakin’s hand. 

Their food arrived a little later. Anakin had ordered a huge plate of filled vegetables of all sorts they could share. It was served in a decorative way that was very different from the homemade food they had had in the last couple of days. Rex almost felt bad about destroying it to eat it but Anakin had no such reserve. He tried a little of everything, telling Rex he totally had to try some of whatever he was eating. 

The food was amazing and Rex could see why people would spend a lot of money to go dining. The best part was sharing the food with Anakin though. While eating, they discussed which dip went best with which filling and tried without success to decide which vegetables they liked best. It was easy to be with Anakin without all the formalities that used to keep a distance between them.

They stayed long after they had finished eating. Neither of them wanted to return to their everyday routine just yet, so instead they kept chatting about whatever came to their mind. But the Restaurant started to get emptier as most of the families had already left and Rex knew they still had to take a long flight.

“I think we should go and pick up that ship from the Droid” he said softly.

“I know” Anakin said a little sad.

Anakin payed and they left the Restaurant arm in arm. Rex knew, that no matter what would happen, he would never forget this evening. It had been worth any consequences he might have to face. Since they hadn’t brought along any belongings there was no reason to return to the yacht so they went directly to the shop.

The protocol droid was already waiting for them. Anakin signed the necessary papers. An organic salesman might have asked why they were leaving late in the night without any luggage but if the Droid had noticed he at least didn’t show it. 

The ship was just as tiny as Rex had remembered it but he didn’t mind. He followed Anakin into the cockpit and placed a hand on his shoulder as he started the engines. The ships engines were loud but they were able to take off without any issues. Anakin programmed the hyperdrive once they had left the orbit. Once he was done he leaned back and took Rex’ hand that was still laying on his shoulder.

“We will be all right” he said looking up to Rex. 

Rex didn’t need the force to know that he meant it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This was a lot of fun to write and will probably not be my last Rexwalker work. The ending got a little sad, but I swear they are okay!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you want you can join me crying about star wars on Tumblr [@ahsoka-dyke](https://ahsoka-dyke.tumblr.com/). As always, English is not my first language so let me know about any mistakes.


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